Russellville city employees will receive a one-time, lump-sum payment if the City Council's latest employee salary plan passes Thursday.

A new proposal authored by Russellville Alderman Cliff Kirchner would give a one-time, $1,000 "stipend" to most city employees, including all city firefighters, ultimately pushing the city's proposed 2005 budget to $8.81 million. Eligible employees who are working for the city as of Dec. 31 would receive that incentive, to be paid sometime in 2005, although city leaders were unsure when exactly the money would be paid.

Kirchner introduced his proposal at a city budget meeting he especially called Tuesday to discuss employee salaries. Aldermen will consider it at their meeting Thursday as a late agenda item.

City Treasurer Jennifer Humphrey was quick to correct those who identified the pay increase as a bonus or raise Tuesday, instead calling it a stipend. And a dictionary definition identifies a "stipend" as " a fixed and regular payment, such as a salary for services rendered or an allowance," Kirchner and Humphrey said the financial incentive would be a one-time appropriation to the eligible city employees that would likely be paid sometime in the summer.

Humphrey said the "stipend" would not be added to base salaries, and only taxes would be deducted from the $1,000. Employees would ultimately receive between $700-$800 after those deductions occurred, she said.

The "stipend" would also apply to two elected officials - City Attorney Trey Smith and District Judge Don Bourne - although Mayor Raye Turner and the eight city aldermen would not qualify, Kirchner said. Turner declined the amount.

Police get base bump

Kirchner, working with Russellville Police Chief James Bacon, had different ideas for uniformed police officers, all of whom would receive base salary increases in excess of $1,000 if the proposal passes. Under the plan, four presently unoccupied patrol officer positions would be cut from next year's budget, with $118,000 of the $164,000 in savings being put back into the police department to increase the salary of uniformed officers.

The new plan would raise the base salaries of all officers with less than five years of experience by at least $3,100 a year, some receiving up to $4,200 more annually to match with other officers with similar on-the-job experience. The plan would increase the salaries of four officers with two years experience by more than 16 percent, while the department's two officers with less than two years of experience will receive raises in excess of 12 percent.

Bacon would receive a $1,090 annual base increase, while most other officers with more than six years of experience will receive base increases of less than $2,100.

The latest proposal came after Russellville voters resoundingly rejected a two-mill property tax increase previously passed by the City Council for employee raises. Kirchner was instead able to find money in the city's general budget, capping spending at 98 percent of next year's projected $9 million revenue.